Hawaii Travel Photography. Destination Wedding Photographer.

I'm excited to share a few of my favorite photos from our trip out west to Los Angeles and Hawaii. We visited the City of Angels for two days before heading over to the Hawaiian Islands of O'ahu and Maui. While we were in LA, we visited LACMA and I finally got to see the lampposts sculptures in person. We had dinner with my cousins at Mozza Restaurant. It was one of the best meals I've ever had and we even saw a few celebrities! We visited the Griffith Observatory, Frank Lloyd Wright House and had breakfast at the delicious Square One Restaurant. We stayed at the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood which was the perfect location for a quick trip in the city. Then we were off to Hawaii....

Welcome to paradise! Our first stop was Duke's on Waikiki Beach before heading to our Airbnb on the North Shore of O'ahu. We had our own one bedroom apartment just a few steps from the famous Sunset Beach. It's a surfer's paradise next to the Banzai Pipeline. We woke up and went to bed with the sound of the sea. It was so relaxing!

I'll admit it, I'm OBSESSED with LOST and since we were in O'ahu where they filmed the entire LOST series, I wanted to take a tour of "the island". We aren't "tour" type of travelers (we prefer the off beaten path) but this was one exception we were willing to make. We took a private Hummer tour by KOS Tours on the Kualoa Ranch and it was awesome!! Our tour guide took us to the best LOST locations and I was in heaven (or was it purgatory? a little show humor for you ;). The next day, we went to the actual beach where the crash site was filmed and drove down to the YMCA to see the Others barracks.

We went to Waimea Bay and spent a few nights enjoying the small beach and surfer town of Haleiwa. We enjoyed Matsumoto Famous Shaved Ice and delicious Thai Food from the Elephant Truck. My husband got to relive many wonderful memories from one of his favorite movies growing up - North Shore. He was very "Hallie".

Our next stop was the beautiful island of Maui. It's more build up but the access to sea life is something I've never been exposed to before. We stayed at the Westin Hotel and saw Humpback Whales breaching from the beach. It was UNREAL!! We found a few quieter beaches and were lucky enough to swim with the sea turtles. They just show up looking for food to eat along the rocks. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life. We had dinner at the Mama's Fish House right on the water and enjoyed local favorite seafood specialties.

This is my favorite photo of our trip and my husband took it with a cheap, underwater camera we bought at Walgreens. This is what we were swimming next too! Sea Turtles are just amazing and calm. It was the best and last shot on the roll of film and worth every penny! He took this at the Black Rock in Maui right before we were heading back to New York.

In Maui, everyone says that you have to have to take the Road to Hana. We rented a Jeep Wrangler and took the road that has so many turns, twists, cliffs and amazing outlooks that I didn't think I was going to make it! We made it halfway to Hana and it was so worth it. We ate lunch on a secluded black beach at the bottom of the road and watched the tides come in and out.

Our two weeks in Hawaii were simply amazing! I was sad to leave but happy to come home. We had an unbelievable trip and so thrilled to finally see what Hawaii's beauty is all about. I loved O'ahu and Maui and would absolutely love to go back. It's a dream of mine to photograph a wedding in hawaii. Aloha and Hang Ten!!